The Sun and The Moon
by Mohen
Summary: Riven has lied his whole life to become the arrogant, whiny jerk known as the Maverick Riven. Stella has betrayed more people than she can remember, playing a spoiled princess, tolerating her "friends". When their two long-hidden motives collide in this bracing thriller, how will the magical galaxy face the wrath of the Sun and the Moon? "Nobody will survive this." AU, Dark Themes.
1. Prologue

**Hey everyone! This is my first fanfic on the site, I am glad to say. I do hope it isn't too deplorable. The allure of was too great. I hope you all enjoy it!**

**This is just the prologue, so tell me what you think. I'll continue if there's good response!**

**Please R&R, flames accepted, of course. Constructive criticism welcome, and definitely desired.**

**Disclaimer: I own the winx club franchise in no way, only the plot of this fanfiction.**

* * *

It was hard to describe that night.

Some would say rainy, but no, it was not pouring. It was more like a heavy drizzle.

Some would say terrifying. Not really, no dark powers were roaming that night, as far as he could tell, anyway.

Perhaps the appropriate word was cold. It was pretty chilly, and even he had a cloak draped around. He could see the dark chocolate being passed around in the inns, candles dancing their waltz before night even fell, logs being cut for the collective burning at 9. It was a pretty monotonous 5th of November.

And so, on that cold night, Riven had found a way to get out from the sights of the Specialists. What could go wrong? It was a cozy Saturday, and what better way to spend the night than with the _fairies_? Uncontrollable hormonal boys, as the others were, you could not blame them. Of course.

He paused to spit on the ground.

Bunch of spoiled fairies, using their gifts for fashion. Not that they were talented to begin with, anyway.

He never understood the Specialists, either. They had the sickening audacity to think that waving a couple of swords and riding in a fake spaceship would make them elite?

He was grumbling again. That would not do, not tonight.

And on Riven walked to the boundaries of Magix. The city was sparsely populated, at the best of times, due to most of the students in their respective compounds. On this night, he was thankful that the food served in Magix could hardly be called something more than a "pulsating, decomposing lump of varied organisms". Not that he came up with that definition - Red Fountain's culinary manager had.

He crossed another street. The exit was in sight, he cast another surreptitious look behind, and above him.

Nobody would notice Riven out of Magix tonight. He stepped out of the relative warmth of the city and looked out the draping forest.

* * *

At least it was solitary.

* * *

The snow made it hard to breathe.

The flakes suffocated her, and she turned away from the display to face the street. She coughed slightly, down into the snow.

Bloom looked up from the dress. It was a sky blue one, with pink lace at the neckline, and silver pearls studding the hem. It was short and girly, the sort that _she _liked_. _It would look good on Bloom.

After all, Stella herself had picked it. And who else had better fashion sense than her?

She coughed again. Okay, it was not the snow this time. She was spinning.

_Oh god, not now. Not in front of them._

Stella leaned back against the glass. Their faces were blurring slightly, and her chest was aching horrid. It might have been her expedition last night. But it was necessary, and that was that.

She tried to cross her arms, thinking that it would help her look like her usual bratty self.

"Let's go back, Bloom. This shop obviously has nothing of quality."

Bloom was frowning now, and the peculiar, inquisitive look on her face was exactly what Stella did not need. "But you were the one who recommended this boutique! What are you talking about?"

Stella was panicking by now. She let her left hand fall from her mouth and spied a red mess dotting the pale skin.

_Great, now she was coughing blood._

She forced her tone to remain insouciant. She looked at Bloom, another eye on the snowy white floor. It was now dotted with red patterns, seeping through the soft lumps.

"I changed my mind. This is not up to my standard. Let's go now."

"But - "

"Let's go!"

In her mind, Stella thanked the gods that she only brought Bloom and Flora out with her. With Tecna's eye, she would see the blood in no time. And Musa's stubbornness, she would need a whole lot of convincing before leaving. Flora, however, would just go with the flow.

Her mind worked quickly, all the while staring Bloom down.

"I forgot my wallet. And, I know for a fact that there is a better store that is going to open an hour later. We can attend its opening and get a discount. Now let's go."

Her voice took on the typical, bossy tone as she clenched her hand into a fist and marched off quickly. She tried to keep the stress out of her voice. Stella cleaned her bloodied hands on a nearby building and plastered a smile on.

She spun around. "Now who's coming? I also know an especially good lunch place near Alfea!"

* * *

Her heart rate did not slow when Bloom and Flora grinned back. Her chest did not stop aching. Whether from her internal damage, or from genuine sadness at lying to her friends, Stella would never know.

* * *

**I hoped you all like it, I know it's just a prologue. If you liked it, and want me to continue, do follow/favourite/review.**

**They are real motivations, I tell you. At least submit one, for my first story?**

**:D thanks! (even if you didn't, you still read it...?)**


	2. Chapter 1

Hey Guys! Thanks for all your reviews, I cannot believe the prologue had such response (or that it even had any, to be honest). It wasn't the best of my work, definitely, and I sincerely apologise for that.

This could be slightly better, as I had worked on it for a much longer time, but perhaps you all can help me decide. This is just a filler chapter, a little test for what may come out afterwards, in terms of plot and writing wise - maybe it will help you decide if you want to continue. And if you're wondering why I took so long to publish a new chapter, it was because I had to devise a whole entire plot from scratch and make it authentic, so...

And my Year-End Exams are starting tomorrow, so it might be a while before the next one.

My gratitude cannot be properly expressed, I literally had a hyperventilating moment when the first one came in. All very encouraging and constructive, thank you guys!

* * *

Stella pondered silently if she should bring a lighter. A flame would make a good distraction, but every night was different, and who knew what she would be dealing with this time? Nodding slightly, she dropped two of them in.

It had been getting harder to sneak out of Alfea, as of late. Someone had the bright idea to make staff patrol the corridors on a nightly routine. There were also newly instated guards hovering near the exits, one hand on the hilt of their sword, and the other around cigarette. She added in an energy-boosting potion she had stolen from Professor Paladium at the last potions class.

For a concealing spell to work, Stella would need all the help she could get.

She hung the brown duffel around her shoulder and concealed it with a black cloak.

The moonlight was flittingly illuminating her bedside table. Her gaze landed on the picture frame atop it. The Winx fairies were framed inside, smiles captured in that moment, all sincere and warm – except for hers.

Stella gazed up at the moon. Its twinkling gleam winked at her.

_Stupid star, making her sentimental at a time like this._

Padding lightly across her room, she scuttled to the exit of the dormitories. She paused before a mirror in the living room. Her reflection glared back at her, blonde hair hanging from her shoulders like a wilted stamen of a flower. She ran her hands through the locks and by the time her fingers were through, it was dyed completely black.

Oh yeah, it was _her_ who had demanded the mirror in the living room.

* * *

He awoke with a start, body alarm screaming at him to lie back down. His senses were dull, and his body felt heavy. He just wanted to lay his back down. Just for a moment.

Why was his head hurting? Or, maybe it was one of those nightmares again – they had been getting worse. He was never one for headaches in the morning.

_If one could call this - what time was it, exactly?_

A quick glance at the digital clock made him spring up and curse.

Shit, he would be tortured terribly again. He could not – would not - face another wave of those spells.

Riven ran a hand through his magenta hair, not bothering to comb. He might not even have bothered about his hair had it not been for Darcy.

But then again, he would not have bothered about Darcy had it not been for –

He heard voices outside. Brandon…and Timmy. He had no time to stall waiting for them to leave!

God damn those two.

Riven snatched his phantoblade from the table and snapped his usual dark cloak around him. No use wearing Red Fountain's standard issue and standing out like a patch of not mowed grass (he had always hated messy grasslands, no idea where that preference came from).

He would not need much tonight, his potion supply had been restocked last afternoon, and he felt energised. He tucked two more small blades between the folds of his cloak. He snapped a larger sword between his bare back and his shirt.

Strangely, the feeling of stiff, cold metal against his skin was alluring.

* * *

Stella tiptoed at the edge of the hallway. With her concealment spell hovering around her, she rubbed her temples lightly. There were two guards at the other end, standing in front of the only exit from the dormitories. Those weren't Alfea staff – those were hired mercenaries. What was the school playing at?

There were two hulks, one with a red bandana on his fist – paw. They brandished a two-metre long iron axe each, swinging the weapon like some toy. She hesitated. She would not be able to overcome them.

Her eye gleamed.

It was a small painting hanging on the wall, its silver frame glancing off the moon's reflection. She crawled to the right wall, where it hung, running her fingers by the edge.

Sharp, hard, seems heavy – might cause some noise.

She detached the frame from the painting, leaving a picture of two fairies in a library hanging.

She crouched, curling her toes to get momentum. Her right arm swung behind, clutching the frame.

It powered through the fragile glass on the other side, landing in the garden with a soft thump.

As red bandana rushed to the gaping hole on the left side of the wall, Stella crept closer to the other giant. It shifted, sensing a presence. Swinging her hand around his neck from behind, she executed a devastating choke, before securing his mouth with her other fist. She gave a swift kick to his groin, but it did not crumple.

The giant struggled under the chokehold and she lifted the right hand from his mouth to deliver a fatal stab in his neck. He gasped when her hand had lifted, and red bandana spun around the same time he crumpled.

Wasting no time, she dashed from the exit and down the winding stairwell to reach the gardener's closet.

Inside the shed, she draped another cloak – this time green – over her shoulders and paused to ease her racing heart.

Why was she dizzy from a mere encounter? She had been through more, this was not even close to her mildest fight. But red, black and white spots were –

Stella ran out and to the gates of Alfea before she could faint. Running would help circulate the blood at a faster rate, it would also help clear her head.

Not in the gardener's shed.

* * *

Riven unlatched the window, thanking his one lucky star for having the only room with a portal out. Arduously sweeping the curtain away, he crouched on the sill, looking for a handhold around him. There was one, another window grill of someone's room.

He swept of, muscular right arm swinging him from the metal bar. With a quick swing back, he kicked his window close and travelled across the perimeter of the campus' towering wall. As he progressively moved down like hanging from a monkey bar, Riven scanned the grounds for any sign of movement. It was all clear tonight.

He let the bar of the lowest window go, and touched the grass running. The lack of wind helped reduce the noise he made. However, the peculiar silence was unnerving. Normally, he would have stayed still and listened quietly – but not tonight. He could not be late tonight.

The strange feeling nagged at him, but Riven had already reached the perimeter of Red Fountain. The gate was locked. No matter.

He propelled himself upward the bronze gate, reaching for the spikes lining the top when at optimum height.

Swing. Drop. He was over.

Sprinting all the way to the exit of Magix, and closer to the dense forests, he suspected a shadow – or someone, something – following him. But when he stopped, and it did not, he dismissed it as the usual unrest of nature on a cold night.

He was out of Magix. He had no fear anymore.

* * *

She remembered watching _him_ in the royal court, being embraced by the radiating warmth that rolled off _him_ in waves. She remembered sharing a short smile with _him_, sharing a sneaky wink, and a secretive raise of an eyebrow. She did not remember such moments – if there ever were - with her father.

King Radius had always been a distant parent. He preached about her education, about her powers and abilities, when he had to. He spoke to her when spoken to, or when in public. He told her to study hard and not get into trouble, because people were looking at him for not saying a word to his daughter. He had nagged – and not even because he cared.

_That was probably why Mom had left him._

She would have left, too, if she could. But Stella was destined to be a princess, and had a duty to her people – at least, that was what _he_ had said.

She loved _him_, like a daughter would – should - a father.

When she stood next to her father, she felt like she was on a flip side of a coin with him, not seeing eye-to-eye, not communicating even though they were so close.

She did not mind really, her father was just there. In court, the King was just another figure in robes, only with a crown on the head. She no longer loathed his presence. Now she just felt neutral – felt nothing – when he was close.

But _he_ – _he_ she cared for, _he_ she wanted to please.

_He_ was the retired general of Solaria, Yancy.

After all, it was _he _who had told her to come out and fight.

And she would, kill a thousand more and her own people if he told her to.

Yancy was the only one who knew the true Stella. Yancy was the one who had created this Stella.

And she would trust him.

* * *

_Questions: Optional, if you want something slightly more than superficial reading_

_What do you think is the significance of Yancy? Do you want more development on this OC?_

_Why does it seem that Stella and Riven's "sneaking out" seem routine? What do you think about it being routine?_

_What can you infer from Stella's behaviour and her familiarity with "fighting"?_

_What do you think about Stella's relationship with her father? How do you think it will affect the story?_


End file.
